‘Save Druridge’ – Government steps in; sets up Public Enquiry!

To read earlier chapters in this long-running saga, see our posts back in July…

On 8th September 2016, Sajid Javid MP, Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government, stepped into the row over the proposed new open-cast coal mine near the beauty spot, Druridge Bay, by ‘calling in’ the application and setting up a Public Enquiry.

He could have just ‘waved through’ the County Council’s decision!

We may have had a role in this development, since we concentrated on the global significance of the issue in terms of climate change, providing vehement expressions of opposition to the mine from six leading scientists, and scores of other scientifically literate staff at Newcastle University. And climate change and renewable energy were matters highlighted by the Minister as requiring further consideration – the first time this aspect has been cited in this way!

To read these statements of opposition, submitted to the Inspector by David Golding on 9th November, 2016, click here;

To read David Golding’s own statement, submitted on 11th November, click here.

“Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings…Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom.”
Nelson Mandela, 2005